Brake mechanism.



W. P. COLLINS.

BRAKE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.17,1913.

Patented J an. 20, 1914.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM I. COLLINS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ,ASSIGNOR T() AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE COMPANY, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

BRAKE MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application Med March 17, 1913.

Patented J an. 20, 1914.

seriai No. 754,696.

To all whom it may concern Be it known thatI, WILLIAM P. COLLINS,

a citizen of -the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Brake Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in brake mechanisms, the object being to provide a simple and eficient mechanism for controlling or stopping the movements of one member relatively to a stationary member or to another movable member, one of said members constituting a fluid chamber and the other of said members constituting a carrier provided with one or more pistons, said pistons adapted to draw fluid into and eject fluid from said chamber. The controlling of the relative movements between said members is accomplished by valves suitably arranged and operated to accomplish the controlling and stopping thereof without shocks or undue strain to any of the cooperative parts.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts whereby the above object and certain other objects hereinafter appearing are attained, as set .forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a transverse section through a brake 'embodying my invention, certain parts of the device being broken away to more clearly illustrate the same. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the irregular line 2-2 of Fig. 1 as viewed in the direction of the arrows on said line, certain parts of said figure being broken away to save space in the drawings.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout both views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 4 is a casing comprising a fluid chamber 5, preferably crescent shaped,

and arranged outside of and adjacent to the periphery 6 of the piston carrier 7. The piston carrier 7 is preferably cylindrical in shape and rotatably arranged Within the casing 4 upon a shaft 8, which is journaled in suitable bearings in the casing 4. A

' series of piston blades 9 are provided on said carrier 7 and arranged to be moved thereon during the relative movements of said carrier and to said casing, by a cam 10, which causes said pistons to be moved outwardly to engage the outer wall of the chamber in the side wall 13 of the casing 4. Arv ranged adjacent to the side wall 13 and within said casing 4 is a valve chamber 141, which is provided with suitable openings 15 therein to permit the fluid which is ejected through the outlet port 1l to escape from said valve chamber and to permit fluid to be drawn from without said chamber therethrough and into the chamber 5 through the inlet valve 12. 'A pair of valves 1G are arranged within said valve chamber' for the purpose of closing the ports 11 and 12 at the proper time during the operation of the device to retard and check the passage of fluid therethrough. These valves are preferably conical in shape and engage conical seats 17 in the end wall 13. It is desirable that the movements of said valves 1G toward said seats 17 be slow and gradual so as not to stop said passage of fluid suddenly to cause undue strain on the moving parts and to attain such a result, said valves are given a helical movement by means of screw-threads 18 formed preferably upon the interior of said valves and arranged to engage screwthreads 19 upon stems 20 disposed adjacent Ito and with their axes coincident with thc centers of their respective ports 11 and 12, said stems being preferably secured to the end plate 21. of that portion of the casing constituting the valve chamber 14. The valves 16 are further provided with gear teeth 22 which are arranged about the periphery thereof and engaged by the teeth of a common actuating gear 23 secured to a shaft 24, which is journaled to rotate in a bearing 25 formed in the wall 2l, while a lever 26 is secured to the outer end of said shaft by which said shaft may be rotated from the exterior of said casing to cause said gear 23 to effect a helical movement of said valves toward and from the valve seats 17 of the ports 11 and 12, said gear teeth 22 being long enough to permit the helical movements of said valves without becomingdisengaged from the teeth of the gear 23.

With a valve of the construction hereinbefore mentioned, the pistons 9 will have a free movement through the chamber 5 when the ports 11 and 12 are opened, but when it is desired to check the movements thereof the lever 2G may be operated to rotate the shaft 24 and gear 23, causing said valve 16 to be rotated and through the instrumentalities of the screw-threads 18 and 19, said valve will be moved in a helical path toward the valve seat 17 a predetermined amount and thereby check the passage of fluid to and from said chamber 5 and consequently checking the speed of the 'pistons 9 through said chamber. A

Having thus described my invention, what l claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

l. A brake mechanism embodying in its construction, a casing comprising a fluid chamber and a valve chamber arranged adjacent to said fluid chamber, said Valve chamber having 'an inlet and an outlet port leading thereinto from opposite ends respectively of said fluid chamber, valves adapted to close said ports, means adapted to rotate said valves, and means rendered effective by the rotary movements of saidl valves adapted t0 move said valves toward and awayvfrom said ports to open and close the same.

2. A brake mechanism embodying in its construction, a casing comprising a fluid chamber anda valve chamber arranged adjacent to said fluid chamber, said valve chamber having an inlet and an outlet port leading thereinto from opposite ends respectively of said fluid chamber, valves adapted to close said ports, a common actuator for said valves, and means operated by said actuator adapted t0 effect a helical movement of said valves toward and from their respective ports whereby a gradual y closing and opening thereof may be attained.

3. A brake mechanism embodying in its construction, a casing comprising a fluld chamber 'and a valve chamber arranged adjacent to said fluid chamber, said valve chamber having an inlet and an outlet port leading thereinto -from opposite ends respectively of Said fluid chamber, said valve chamber also having openings through the outer wall thereof,

a screwsthreadedstem disposed adjacent to each of said ports, the axis of each of said WILLIAM r. COLLINS.

Witnesses SYDNEY E. TAFT, LEONARD A. POWELL. 

